Nets acquire two first round picks to get Carmelo Anthony?

The Nets are close to acquiring multiple first round picks that will be used in a potential trade for Carmelo Anthony, two people familiar with the situation told CBSSports.com.

New Jersey has agreed in principle to a three-team trade where the Nets receive a first round pick in 2012 from the Rockets that will be lottery protected according to the Houston Chronicle and an additional first round pick from the Lakers in 2011. Houston would acquire Terrence Williams, while Joe Smith would be sent to the Lakers and Sasha Vujacic would go to the Nets.

The New Jersey Nets now have two additional first round draft picks to help them pry Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets.

This gives the soon to be Brooklyn squad an advantage over the New York Knicks in terms of what they can offer the Nuggets in a trade.

The Nets can include multiple first round draft picks, blue-chip prospect Derrick Favors, and the expiring contract of Troy Murphy in any deal for Anthony.

The Knicks are a different story. They lack first round draft picks, top young talent, and attractive contracts.

The complication is Anthony’s pending free agency. He’s set to become a free agent in July. The Nets could acquire the forward, only to have him leave a few months later and sign with the team of his choosing.

Anthony, of course, has let it be known he prefers the Knicks to the Nets. And the Nets would never recover if they traded for Anthony and lost him to their cross-town rivals.

So Mikhail Prokhorov better get Anthony’s signature on an extension before mortgaging the franchise for the forward in a trade.
–Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.